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Innovation in Extension

September132017September 13, 2017

Ohio State University Extension has been at the forefront of transforming our organizational culture in Extension. From the creation of a first-of-its-kind Extension Educational Technology unit, to serving on national committees charged with tackling systemic challenges and opportunities in innovation, OSUE has been involved every step of the way since 2012.

Innovate Extension

In May 2016, the Ohio State University Extension Ed Tech Unit hosted the first Innovate Extension event as an Extension-only post-event to OSU’s Innovate Conference. This hackathon-style event was an opportunity for faculty and staff to network, discuss, and develop innovative ideas for Extension’s greatest challenges and opportunities. Extension professionals at all levels of the organization were invited to develop small, cross-programmatic teams and “hack” their way through an idea. From ideation to pitch, event participants had a dedicated work session to develop and refine their ideas before pitching a proposal to OSU Extension administration for potential funding. The response was overwhelming. During our first year, nearly 150 people joined together across 24 teams. OSUE administrators awarded more than $34,000 among the top three teams to continue idea development and deployment.

Since then, Innovate Extension events have been hosted in three additional states – North Dakota, Utah, and Oregon – with an additional event being planned in Delaware for October 2017. These events have been funded, in part, by the eXtension Foundation. Additionally, Ohio State University Extension hosted their second Innovate Extension event in May 2017 with the event theme UrbanX. The UrbanX theme was selected to allow participants to focus on Ohio’s unique urban challenges and opportunities that intersect across all communities, rural and urban alike.

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